1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a holder for reinforcing rods of iron or steel for use in connection-type concreting operations, including a hollow body having a depression which accommodates the free, downwardly bent ends of the reinforcing rods provided with a U-shaped clamping member, such ends converging in relation to the centre line of the hollow body, and the present invention also relates to a method of producing such a reinforcing rod holder.
2. Prior Art
A holder for reinforcing rods for concrete of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,825 wherein the holder is advantageous in that the reinforcing rods disposed therein are almost completely protected, and the holders can easily be transported. The portion of the holder at the wall side is provided with equidistant transverse grooves and has markings for holes which are to be subsequently bored. The U-shaped, downwardly bent shank ends of the reinforcing rods are hooked into such holes, and a cover member is mounted thereafter. It is a relatively labour-intensive operation to hook-in the reinforcing rods, and such an operation is almost impossible to automate or can only be automated with great difficulty. Moreover, measures must be taken to secure the reinforcing rods in a quite specific position. In addition, the cover member is, more properly speaking, a member which needs to be injected, and it is difficult to seal it completely.
The Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,586 also discloses a reinforcing rod which essentially comprises a prismatic, expanded plastic material body which retains the reinforcing rods. When such holder is only comprised of expanded plastics material, and with the versatile, ever-increasing application of this first reinforcing rod holder, it has proved desirable, on the one hand, to facilitate the complete removal of the expanded plastics material body and to improve its stability and, on the other hand, to improve the method of producing the reinforcing rod holder.